Peter Roskam

ILLINOIS' 6th DISTRICT

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-06), co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus, released the following statement on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress:

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Congressman John Carney (D-DE) released the following statements after the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee’s markup and subsequent passage of the Protecting Integrity of Medicare Act (PIMA), a bipartisan Medicare fraud package that includes the Roskam-Carney Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures (PRIME) Act of 2015. Read More

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) released the following statement after introducing H.R. 1104, the Fair Treatment for All Donations Act, to permanently ensure donations to 501(c)4, (c)5, and (c)6 organizations are not subject to the gift tax. Federal law mandates that gifts in excess of $14,000 are subject to the gift tax, but donations to nonprofit organizations have always been considered tax-free. However, in recent years the IRS has threatened to apply the gift tax to these contributions.

Over the weekend, Forbes featured an op-ed from political economy contributor Carrie Sheffield on how the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel actually undermines Palestinians. It mentions how Congressman Roskam’s bipartisan U.S.-Israel Trade and Commercial Enhancement Act (H.R. 825) is a critical step forward in the fight against BDS Read More

Yesterday, Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) sent a letter to HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Marilyn Tavenner demanding answers as to how nearly one million Americans received inaccurate tax forms from health insurance marketplaces set up by the President’s health care law. As a result of receiving erroneous information from the government, these Americans will likely experience delays and further challenges in filing their annual tax returns. Read More

Yesterday, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) awarded Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-06) the NAM Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence at an event hosted by NAM member company Navistar International Corporation in Lisle, Illinois. Read More

Yesterday, Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) hosted his first hearing on protecting small businesses from IRS abuse. Roskam prompted IRS Commissioner John Koskinen to apologize for the agency’s longtime practice of seizing banks accounts of individuals and small businesses without any proof of wrongdoing. Read More

Today, Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) delivered the following opening statement during the subcommittee's hearing on the IRS’s use of civil-asset forfeiture laws to seize the bank accounts of law-abiding small businesses and the settlement tactics used by the agency. Read More

Today, Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) hosted his first hearing on protecting small businesses from IRS abuse. Members pressed IRS Commissioner John Koskinen for answers regarding the agency’s ability to seize people’s bank accounts without any proof of wrongdoing, and heard from several victims of this harmful IRS practice. Read More

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Committee Assignments

Peter Roskam is the U.S. Representative for the Sixth District of Illinois. Upon his election, the Chicago Sun-Times and Roll Call newspapers called Roskam a "rising star."

Roskam's priorities in Washington include providing tax relief for hard working families and businesses, reining in federal spending, expanding healthcare access and affordability, and promoting energy independence. The Daily Herald described him as an "avowed fiscal conservative who could lay claim to the anti-tax mantel."

As the people of the Sixth District are heavily impacted by the financial services sector, Roskam sought and received an appointment to the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and sits on the subcommittees for Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises; Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology; and Oversight and Investigations. House Republican Leader John Boehner said about Roskam, “as a former Member of the Illinois State House, he has shown an unyielding commitment to the people of Illinois and will continue to do so while serving as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Financial Services Committee.” Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Spencer Bachus called Roskam “a top-notch legislator who will perform his new duties with integrity, thoughtfulness, and energy.”

In 1993 Roskam was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives where he served six years. In 2000, he was appointed to the Illinois Senate and served in the leadership as the Republican Whip and Floor Leader. He has received numerous awards from businesses, health care and pro-family organizations. He has also earned the praise of environmental and law enforcement groups for his leadership. In 2005, Americans for Tax Reform named him “Hero of the Taxpayer.”

He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and his law degree from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. He took a hiatus from his legal studies to teach high school history and government in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Following law school, Peter pursued his interest in public policy and moved to our nation's capitol, where he worked for then freshman Congressman Tom DeLay and his predecessor from the Sixth District, Congressman Henry Hyde.

Back in Illinois, Peter served as Executive Director of Educational Assistance Ltd., a nonprofit scholarship program for disadvantaged youngsters. This organization received President Reagan's Volunteer Action Award for outstanding service to the community.

Peter's roots in the district go back to Hill Avenue in Glen Ellyn where he lived as a toddler. Growing up, Peter started a house cleaning service, served as Student Senate President at Glenbard West High School and was a varsity gymnast. At one point, he bicycled across America - from San Diego to Virginia Beach.

During his years on Capitol Hill, Peter met his wife Elizabeth. Congressman and Mrs. Roskam now live in Wheaton where they are raising their four children.